


Three's Company

by FreckledSkittles



Series: Barisi Is Married and Happy Because I Said So [7]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Dogs, Fluff, M/M, Married Barisi, Married Couple, Romance, Valentine's Day Fluff, fluffy bois, how many fics until it becomes an official tag, they deserve it okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:14:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22667605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreckledSkittles/pseuds/FreckledSkittles
Summary: “Now you see why I couldn’t text you.”Or: Sonny makes a pit stop at an animal shelter and Rafael's blame lasts about two seconds.
Relationships: Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.
Series: Barisi Is Married and Happy Because I Said So [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1405030
Comments: 14
Kudos: 57
Collections: Barisi Valentine Prompt Challenge 2020





	Three's Company

**Author's Note:**

> I have a series of fics planned for Valentine's Day but it'll take me another day to get to posting the first one in the series so here's a compromise: dogs and weenies
> 
> Also Peanut and Almond are based on a bonded pair of spaniels that are up for adoption right now at the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary (Oreo and Cinnamon, I love them) but Almond and Peanut are not real as far as I know and yet I wish they WERE

Sonny had been gone for two hours.

Normally, his trips for dinner are done on his way home from church. Rafael usually accompanies his husband, more as a courtesy than an investment in his lapsed faith, but his new job at the Public Integrity Bureau and the constant trips he had made around the northeastern coast throughout the week had drained him for the weekend. Sonny had told him when he was on the way to grab groceries for dinner but hadn’t returned in two hours. And despite all the phone calls and texts, he had gotten nothing.

If he knew how to work the Find My Friends app, Rafael would see his husband is at an animal shelter, unchanged for almost the entire time he’s been out. But he doesn’t have to, because Sonny—the fool must want him to die of a heart attack—finally sends him an address and directions to his location without much context. Rafael has to stop himself from rolling his eyes when he sees where his husband ended up but arranges a Lyft instead. They had been married for a year at this point, living together for longer and dating before that, but after the passing of Sonny’s cat five months before they moved into their new apartment, they had agreed to wait until they adopted a pet together. Rafael is surprised it took so long for Sonny to start searching and getting attached.

Rafael arrives at the animal shelter and walks in, surrounded by the smell of pet food and hair; a few kids are playing in a display pen with a ruffled terrier. Across from them, two older women coo over the three cats lounging around, one of which has his own kennel separate from the others. He follows Rafael when he walks by, long hair a dark blue, the name “Pablo” on his chart and a green heart beside it.

Rafael asks the volunteer behind the front counter if she’s seen his husband—“tall, gangly, vaguely looks like a giraffe”—and is led to the dog side of the shelter. There’s a large room with rows of kennels, identified by the loud barks that seep out, but he’s brought to an area for smaller dogs. Past a couple and a single dad with two kids is Sonny, holding a spaniel in his arms and swaying back and forth.

Both Sonny and Rafael have soft spots for animals—seen more in their nicknames mimicking giraffes and koalas than their voluntary dogsitting Frannie—but there is a surprising tenderness to seeing Sonny in the shelter. The spaniel is small, coat long and light brown, and nuzzled right under his neck, eyes closed in contentment. Rafael watches him hold the dog close to his chest, his smile growing when the dog tries to move closer, and he makes his way over. Sonny turns when he hears him approach and breaks out into a grin, mouthing a quiet “hey” when he’s close enough.

“This is where you’ve been for two hours?” Rafael scoffs. There’s no malice in his voice and his irritation has long since vanished. Especially with big brown eyes gazing up at him in silent wonder and slight precaution.

“I grabbed everything I needed, but I drove past this shelter, and…” Sonny gives a half-shrug, restrained only by the dog against his chest. “I dunno. I just couldn’t stop myself.”

Rafael smiles affectionately at him, as small as it may be, and kisses his cheek. “I’ll remember that for the next time you disappear without warning.”

Sonny frowns, guilt washing over him as easily as it had coated his voice over the phone. Rafael had forgiven him the moment he had heard from him again. “I’m sorry, Raf, I meant to tell you. I just got distracted.” He turns a bit so he can see the spaniel again, black nose raising in the air between them. “This is Almond.” At its name, the dog’s ear—silky and long—twitch and raise. Sonny chuckles. “She’s a little shy, but she loves to cuddle.”

Rafael can’t help but smile at the pup, reaching out a curled fist to let her smell it. “Hello, Almond.” He realizes, as Almond licks his knuckles and nudges his hand for pats, that she only has one front leg. He has no idea if Sonny wants to bring her home, but if it somehow didn’t cross his mind, Rafael is going to intervene.

“She’s a bonded pair with her sister, Peanut.” Sonny nods to the blonde spaniel in front of them, who has been sitting patiently in front of them and looking up at them the entire time.

The second he looks at Peanut, the tiny blonde spaniel with a nose working hard to sniff them out, Rafael’s chest pangs and his heart sinks. “Oh.” He opens the door to the kennel and kneels, his hand turned into a fist again for Peanut to smell. She gets the scent easily and, tail wagging furiously behind her, scoots over to sit in front of him. Her eyes are permanently closed, he notices, but he would have never known. She knows where to go for his attention, one paw waving in front of her and her head knocking against his palm.

“These two were abandoned and brought here. They think Almond got her paw trapped in something and had to have her leg removed. Once they got them cleaned up, they found an infection in Peanut’s eyes and had to remove them. They say she doesn’t know the difference.”

“I love her,” Rafael blurts out. Peanut knocks her nose against his chin, tongue slipping out. A quick tear breaks from his eyes and down his cheek. “Oh god. I love her.”

“I already told one of the volunteers we’re adopting them.”

“Good.” Rafael glances up at him and chuckles softly. “I don’t have to convince you.”

Sonny smiles right back. “Now you see why I couldn’t text you.”

Luckily, Almond and Peanut are ready to go home with them right away. One of the volunteers leads them to the front; Almond refuses to leave Sonny’s arms, and while Peanut has no problem walking, she sits down at Rafael’s feet and waits patiently for him to move again, nose wiggling in the air.

“I’m happy those two are finally going home,” the volunteer says, grinning at the dogs, “I was here when they were brought in and watching them change has been rewarding, but I’m glad they get to do more at a place more suitable for them.”

“How long have they been here?” Rafael asks.

The boy shrugs. “Maybe four months. A lot of kids go to see them because they’re so small, but no one wants them enough to open their home to them because of their disabilities.”

“Well, good. It’s their loss and our gain.”

The volunteer grins. Sonny is eyeing the long-haired cat from earlier, standing on the cat tree in the front window display. Pablo watches them intently, golden eyes following their movements. Rafael notices his display is separate from the others.

“What’s wrong with him?” Sonny asks, nodding to the front display. “He get in trouble?”

The young boy laughs. “No, Pablo has FIV. His immune system is weaker than other cats. It’s only contagious through blood, but we don’t want any of the shelter cats getting infected. He’ll live a happy healthy life like any other cat, but,” he shrugs, “some people don’t want the extra care that comes from special needs pets. If my place allowed cats, I’d adopt him.”

Rafael looks up at Sonny, who is already pouting and biting his lip. “Three’s company, right?”


End file.
